Tickboxes

Why tokenism is tempting, even though it's not sufficient - and why I used to do it myself.

Every once in a while I see someone complaining that the representation in a certain book, or a certain film or other media, feels shallow and cynical - that the author is merely "ticking boxes" of what kind of people to include, rather than engaging more deeply with marginalized readers' concerns.

This kind of complaint isn't always on the mark - sometimes it assumes things about the author's motivations that aren't correct. But it is possible to just tick boxes - even from a position of good intent - when you could be doing something more.

In fact - dramatic confession time - I used to approach representation this way myself.